An Unexpected Alliance
by Casa Circe
Summary: ZUTARA WEEK 2015 Day Five: Voyage. A newly exiled Prince Zuko smuggles a prisoner from the Southern Water Tribe away from the Fire Nation and is determined to take her home. AU.


**ZUTARA WEEK 2015, Day 5: VOYAGE**

 _ **An Unexpected Alliance**_

 **DISCLAIMER:** _ **Avatar: the Last Airbender**_ **belong to Bryke, but Zutara Week belongs to all Zutarians.**

 **NOTE: This was a tough prompt to write a one-shot for because it's the kind of theme that lends itself better to a multi-chapter story. But I don't have the time or ideas enough for a long story at the moment so a one-shot it will have to be.**

 **This is a huge AU where fourteen year old Katara has been a prisoner of the Fire Nation and Zuko decides to help her escape. Both characters are a few years older than they were at the time of these events in the series. And Zuko isn't sent on a mission to find the Avatar. You'll see and hopefully this doesn't seem too weird.**

 **Enjoy!**

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"You can come out now," a gentle voice said, opening the lid of the large crate.

Carefully, the waterbender made her way out of her hiding place and took a deep breath, savoring her freedom. Her quarters had been cramped but at least she had avoided detection. She looked hesitantly at the old firebender who had spoken to her.

Iroh nodded his head. "You're quite safe now, my dear," he said reassuringly.

"Where are we exactly?" the waterbender asked though she could already smell the sea breeze blowing into the cargo hold.

"A considerable distance from the borders of the Fire Nation," Iroh explained, "by the time they find out you're gone and figure out who helped you, we'll be too far away for them to give chase easily. And we will not let them take you again."

"How can I ever thank you?" Katara cried earnestly.

Iroh shook his head. "You owe us nothing," he replied, "you should never have had to endure such a fate. It was the right thing to do."

Katara sighed with relief. After having been a captive of the Fire Nation for more than a year, she had begun to despair that she might never escape. And yet, there she was, free at last and on her way home.

And it was all thanks to the kindness of the Fire Lord's own son. She still struggled to understand how this all came to be. But she was more than grateful for her unexpected good fortune.

As the last waterbender of the South Pole, she had been taken from her home and imprisoned in the Fire Nation capital, a particularly precious prize for the Fire Lord. She had suffered alone in a squalid dungeon, exhausted and dehydrated, and almost beyond hope.

But one day, months into her captivity, the Fire Lord decided to show her off to his two children. She had been brought before them in chains and heavily guarded even though she was far too weak to attempt to fight back.

Katara remembered the encounter vividly, recalling the glare of hatred she had thrown towards her captors. She refused to speak to them but she wanted to make sure they saw how she felt about them. The Fire Lord had glanced at her coldly, like she was nothing more than a prized possession and the princess had had a similar expression on her face. Princess Azula had even looked amused by the prisoner's misery and had been tempted to torment her further. When Katara turned to glare at the prince, however, she saw something completely unexpected.

He had stared at her speechlessly, shock and pity filling his face. Katara had not heard much of the conversation but she remembered the princess teasing her older brother about his reaction.

"You're too soft, Zuzu," Azula had taunted, "What should we care about a filthy, peasant waterbender anyway?"

The prince had argued with his sister and had voiced his protest to his father about the inhumane conditions of the prisoner. Katara had seen the outrage in the Fire Lord's face at his son's words.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Ozai had berated, "advocating the rights of this Water Tribe peasant!"

The argument had continued but she had been taken away by the guards. She had exchanged one final, unreadable glance with the prince before she was dragged back to her prison cell.

A few nights later, she received a hooded visitor late in the night.

"Don't be afraid," he had whispered hastily and to her surprise, she recognized the voice of Prince Zuko, "I'm going to get you out of here, I swear it. When the time comes, you will be taken into a crate and hidden on a ship until we can smuggle you out of the country. You will be free again."

Katara had dared not hope and yet, someone did come for her in the night, an old firebender who introduced himself as Iroh. And as she hid silently in the crate, Katara wondered what price the prince would have to pay for this act of generosity and treason.

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"Where is he?" Katara asked Iroh, keen to speak to her new ally and rescuer. She had barely had a glimpse of him when he had visited her cell briefly and she was eager to express her gratitude.

Iroh motioned to the door leading to the upper deck of the ship. "I'll take you to him," he said, "and don't worry about the other crew members. They can be trusted completely."

The waterbender nodded and followed his lead. They stepped outside and felt the chill of the early evening. Katara savored the freshness of the sea breeze and gazed up at the sky. She felt even more rejuvenated when she noticed that a full moon shone that night.

"There's just one thing you need to know," Iroh said gravely, "since the last time you saw him, Zuko's had a serious injury but you must try not to be alarmed."

"Oh no!" Katara cried, alarmed nonetheless, "What happened? Is he all right?"

"He's getting better," Iroh said, after a pause, "and I'm certain his body will heal. But his spirit has been deeply wounded, and that, I fear, will take longer to recover from."

Hearing this, Katara grew even more concerned and pressed the old man for details. And so Iroh told her everything about how his nephew came to be banished from his own country.

The punishment for speaking up against the Fire Lord on the matter of Katara's captivity had been more severe than Zuko had expected. He had been asked to fight an Agni Kai against his own father and since he refused to fight, Ozai had burned his son's face and banished him, confident that Zuko would have to learn a lesson about loyalty. He had long harbored doubts about his son's suitability as an heir and this gave him an excuse to send him away for good.

But Ozai had gravely misjudged his son's character. Upon seeing the captive, Zuko had already decided to try and free her and after his painful duel with his father, the prince was even more determined to right what he saw as an injustice.

His banishment also gave him the perfect opportunity to take the waterbender with him and he made arrangements with his uncle to get her transferred in safety to the ship that would take them both away from the Fire Nation.

Katara listened to the account with growing astonishment. She had always known the Fire Lord to be a ruthless leader but she had never imagined that his cruelty would extend to members of his own family. She was overwhelmed with compassion and gratitude for Zuko and was all the more eager to speak with him.

They walked on deck and Iroh pointed to a lone figure, standing by the railings and gazing up at the moon. Katara approached him carefully. He noticed her coming and turned to face her briefly.

Her eyes widened when she saw the bandaged side of his face. Conscious of how he looked, he turned away from her immediately. But Katara moved closer until she stood beside him.

"I hope you weren't too uncomfortable in that crate," Zuko muttered awkwardly.

"I've been through worse," Katara replied with a smile, "and a little discomfort is a small price to pay for my freedom. Why did you do it? I'm not being ungrateful, only curious."

"It was the right thing to do," Zuko answered sincerely, "I've kept my silence about my father's cruelties for far too long. And when I saw you that day, I felt that he had gone too far. I couldn't let you rot in that prison. I had to do something."

Katara gazed at him in awe, still unable to believe that she would find an ally among her enemies.

"How are you your father's son?" she thought to herself, for she could see no resemblance between the cruel monarch and his kind, courageous son.

"I've never met anyone with such a strong sense of justice," Katara said earnestly, "and I am very grateful. I don't know how I can ever thank you for my freedom."

Zuko shook his head. "You owe me nothing. Your freedom was never anyone's to take."

"Not everyone would agree with you there," Katara commented, "but I'm glad someone still sees reason in this crazy world."

"I promised I would take you home," he added gravely, "and I keep my promises."

"I don't doubt you," Katara told him, "I know now that you are a man of honor."

He flinched at the word, a reaction that puzzled the waterbender.

"What's the matter?" she asked in concern.

"It's just," he began hesitantly, "no one's ever called me that before."

"Well, it's the truth," Katara said encouragingly.

"Thank you," Zuko said softly.

They stood together in contemplative silence, each simply enjoying the sea breeze and the light of the moon. Katara found herself at ease in his company and saw that he seemed less tense around her now.

She could not help but glance once more at his bandaged face.

"Does it still hurt a lot?" she asked softly.

He turned to look at her in surprise before shaking his head. "It's not as bad as it looks," he replied reassuringly.

But she still wasn't convinced. "I haven't mastered healing yet," she offered, "but I think I could help with the pain."

Instinctively, she raised a hand towards his face. He stared at her for a moment before taking her outstretched hand in one of his.

"That's kind of you," he said gently, "but I can handle the pain. It's nothing to what you've had to suffer."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked.

"Yes," said Zuko, "But I really appreciate your concern."

Katara smiled at him and Zuko could not help but return the gesture. They stood that way for a few moments before he realized he was still holding her hand. He blushed slightly and immediately let go.

"Maybe you should get some rest, there's a cabin prepared for you," he blurted out awkwardly, "we still have a long voyage ahead of us."

"Good night, then," Katara said, deciding to spare them both from further embarrassment. There would be time enough to talk to him in the days that followed and she realized how exhausted she was.

"Good night," Zuko told her with another small smile.

As Katara lay in bed that night, enjoying a simple comfort she had been deprived of for ages, she reflected on the current circumstances. If Ozai had scarred and banished his son for simply speaking out of turn then no doubt the punishment for releasing a prisoner would be even graver. Treason was often punishable by death. Knowing what she knew about the Fire Lord, Katara did not put it past him to execute his own son. She shuddered at the thought but felt that it was not unlikely.

And she could not bear to let that happen. Not only because she owed Zuko her life. In such a short acquaintance, she had come to respect and admire him. He had awakened a fiercely protective streak in her and she was determined to let no harm come to him.

"No matter what happens," she thought with conviction, "I will protect you."


End file.
